Kyle Reinhardt’s First Half of Ohio Speedweek a Story of Struggles and Progress

It’s no secret that the arch-nemesis for Kyle Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team thus far on their rookie All Star Circuit of Champions campaign has been slick tracks.  They have had good nights and bad, but finding consistency has been challenging.  There was no doubt Ohio Sprint Speedweek would provide plenty of opportunities to learn and improve in that area.

6/11:  Attica Raceway Park – Attica, OH

      (Qualifying 15th overall / 3rd in group, Heat 5th,  B-main 11th)

Night one of Ohio Speedweek saw 45 teams sign in at Attica Raceway Park.  For Reinhardt and team, their start to the night seemed to provide reason for some optimism.  Kyle registered the 15th quickest time overall, good enough for 3rd in his group and the pole in his heat race.  Reinhardt’s timed laps were during the first group, so the real measuring stick would come as the night wore on.  

Unfortunately the struggles continued.  Reinhardt slipped backwards from his pole position in the heat, finishing 5th and missing the transfer to the A-main.  In the B-main, from which four cars would transfer, Reinhardt started 4th but could not hold serve and slipped back to an 11th place finish, ending his night.

6/12:  Fremont Speedway – Fremont, OH

      (Qualifying 13th overall / 8th in group, Heat 7th,  B-main 12th)

The series rolled into Fremont Speedway for night two of Speedweek with 44 teams in tow.  Once again Reinhardt took his turn under the clock as part of the first group, but he did not fare well, timing 8th quickest in his group and landing deep in the starting lineup for his heat race.  Reinhardt and team were unable to recover, finishing 7th in the heat race and 12th in the B-main.

“We’re just struggling to figure out what the car wants in these conditions.  On the bright side, when you try things and they don’t work, you learn.  We’ve just got to keep working hard to solve it“, the Neptune City, NJ native shared.

6/14:  Wayne County Speedway – Orrville, OH

      (Qualifying 14th overall / 4th in group, Heat 1st,  Dash 4th, A-main 12th)

Following a day off to regroup, Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team were among 49 cars to roll into Wayne County Speedway for night three of the 39th Annual edition of Ohio Speedweek.  Once again facing a circuit he had never made laps at before, Reinhardt logged the 14th quickest time overall and 4th best in his group.  It was a good start, but the key would be to maintain that level of performance throughout the night.

The qualifying effort put Reinhardt on the pole of the first heat.  The All Star Rookie of the Year candidate was able to stay out front during the 8-lap event, holding off the hard charging Sam Hafertepe Jr, who had surged into the runner up position from his 6th starting spot by lap 4.  The win gave Reinhardt a spot in the dash redraw.

Kyle drew the outside front row starting spot for the first 4-lap dash.  The result was a 4th place finish and the 7th starting spot in the 35-lap A-main.  Reinhardt put together a strong effort, battling inside the top 10 during the first 20 laps.  Despite losing a couple positions late in the event and crossing the line in 12th, it was still a positive night for Reinhardt and team after missing the show on the opening two nights of the summer series.

“It felt good to get a decent finish and show we’re making progress.  There are a lot of good cars here, so there’s no margin for error.  If you mess up even a little, you go backwards quick“, Reinhardt commented after making his first Ohio Speedweek show.

6/15:  Sharon Speedway – Hartford, OH

      (Qualifying 11th overall / 3rd in group, Heat 2nd,  A-main 20th)

Hoping to turn the team’s good night at Wayne County into real momentum, Kyle Reinhardt and team rolled East to Sharon Speedway for night four of the All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek.  The 3/8-mile oval would serve as a good measuring stick of the team’s progress.  Their initial visit on May 1st didn’t go very well.  That night, Reinhardt timed 29th that night and ultimately failed to make the feature event.

A deep field of 53 cars signed in to take their shot at the $6,000 winner’s share.  Reinhardt got the Capitol Renegade team’s night off to a good start, recording the 11th quickest time overall, good for 3rd best time in his group.  The surface was notably slick, as a few drivers lost the handle during their timed laps, so the result was certainly a good sign of progress for Reinhardt.

Reinhardt started on the outside of the front row of his heat race and used a strong move off the cushion, or maybe more accurately the wall, in turn two to surge to the lead on the start.  He held an advantage of a few car lengths over the first six laps, until Hunter Schuerenberg managed to make a run off turn four and slide under Reinhardt into turn one with just enough momentum to slide up in front and take away the lead.  The bad news was the No.91 of Reinhardt finished 2nd, just missing an opportunity participate in the dash redraw.  The good news was they were in the show and had made significant improvements over their May 1st debut at Sharon Speedway.

Rolling off 13th in the 35-lap A-main, Reinhardt raced mid-pack during the opening half-dozen laps, maintaining the track position.  Surprisingly, the track surface began to take rubber very early in the event, making the low groove the preferred line for everyone.  While trying to move forward using the middle and top, Reinhardt lost a handful of positions before finally getting into the rubber on the bottom.  Ultimately he would finish 20th, but it wasn’t indicative of their night.

“I was late getting to the bottom and it cost us several spots“, Reinhardt admitted.  “The car was better than our finish showed.  We timed and raced much better than we did the first time we came here, so I’m happy about that.  I need to thank Bob and Robbie.  They have been busting their tails to make us better and we’re getting there.  We’ll head on to Waynesfield and keep digging“, Reinhardt shared. 

RQM Motorsports would like to thank Capitol Renegade, Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers, Champion Brands, Fibreworks Composites, Henry’s Wrecker Service, J&J Auto Racing, FK Rod Ends, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Kelly Racing Fuel, B.C. Walter Trucking, Arai Americas, Auto Meter, KSE Racing Products, InTech Trailers, Fel-Pro, Taylor Ignition Wires, Miller Welders, K&N Filters, Mettec, AL Driveline, Jesel Valvetrain, DMI, All-Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, ISC Racers Tape, HMS Motorsports, Ultra Lite Brakes & Components, Rider Racing Engines, Saldana Racing Products and HP Engines for their support during the 2021 racing season.

UP NEXT:

The second half of the All Star Circuit of Champions’ Ohio Sprint Speedweek will unfold over the next four nights at Waynesfield Raceway Park, Muskingum County Speedway, Limaland Motorsports Park and Portsmouth Raceway Park, with the finale paying a stout $17,554 to the winner.  The full speedweek schedule and more details are shown below.